In general terms, women buy new cars for more logical reasons — safety, comfort, practicality and value. Men buying new cars, however, often purchase vehicles for much different reasons, most notably, power, performance and exclusivity.

As such, the car purchased by the highest percentage of women in the United States is the Honda Fit. More than 80 percent of Fit buyers are women. The vehicle with the highest percentage of men buyers (93 percent) is the Chevrolet Silverado (pick-up truck).

Here are the overall and luxury car most often purchased by men and women.

Women (Overall)
1. Honda Fit; 2. Kia Spectra; 3. Hyundai Elantra; 4. Toyota Yaris; 5. Nissan Versa.

Men (Overall)
1. Chevrolet Silverado; 2. Ford F-350; 3. Nissan Titan; 4. Chevrolet Corvette; 5. Dodge Ram.

Women Luxury
1. BMW Z4; 2. Audi A3; Volvo S80; 4. Volvo V70/C70; 5. Lincoln MKZ; 6. Volvo S40; 7. Audi A6; 8. Range Rover Sport; 9. Cadillac SRX; 10. Lexu IS350.

Men Luxury
1. Maybach 57 and 62; 2. Mercedes Benz GL Class; 3. Lamborghini; 4. Rolls Royce Phantom; 5. Dodge Viper; 6. Mercedes Benz G Glass; 7. Ferrari; 8. Cadillac Escalade ESV; 9. BMW 6 Series; 10. Aston Martin.

Chrysler is also working on a new generation of hybrid vehicles with lithium-ion batteries that are lighter and store more energy than the nickel-metal hydride batteries now in wide use.

Chrysler has not yet announced any partnership for the project or for the development of the batteries.

General Motors Corp and Toyota Motor Corp are racing to develop rechargeable hybrid vehicles using lithium-ion batteries.

GM’s all-electric Chevy Volt is scheduled to begin production in 2010; Toyota will begin testing a rechargeable version of its Prius hybrid with fleet customers around the same time.

Chrysler, bought by private equity group Cerberus Capital Management last August, showed three “green” concept cars in January during the Detroit auto show that featured electric motors intended to be powered by lithium-ion batteries — Chrysler’s ecoVoyager, Dodge ZEO and Jeep Renegade.

According to a new report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB, the No. 1 car for hot-wiring is a 1995 Honda Civic. And its close, older sibling, the 1991 Honda Accord, is the second-most susceptible car to thieves.

According to the report, published in Forbes Magazine, “junkers” like older Honda Civics and Accord, are more valuable to thieves because they can easily strip the cars and sell the parts on the street.

According to the NICB, a car is stolen in the United States every 2.5 seconds.

Here’s the list of the top 10 most stolen cars in the Uinited States in 2007 followed by the 2006 ranking

1. 1995 Honda Civic ; 1. 1995 Honda Civic
2. 1991 Honda Accord; 2. 1991 Honda Accord
3. 1989 Toyota Camry; 3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150 Series Pickup; 4. 1997 Ford F-150 Series Pickup
5. 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 Pickup; 5. 2005 Dodge Ram Pickup
6. 1994 Acura Integra; 6. 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 Pickup
7. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup; 7. 1994 Nissan Sentra
8. 1994 Nissan Sentra; 8. 1994 Dodge Caravan
9. 1988 Toyota Pickup; 9. 1994 Saturn SL
10. 2007 Toyota Corolla; 10. 1990 Acura Integra

The NICB study confirms theft of older model vehicles has remained constant for the past several years because they provide the market for stolen vehicle parts.

But Toyota isn’t resting on its “green” laurels. As reported recently in the Japanese daily newspaper, The Nikkei, Toyota will advance its “green” platform by offering solar-powered air conditioning in its 2010 models.

Toyota won’t confirm or deny the report, but the solar roof panels will provide two to five kilowatts of electricity, according to industry experts.

Toyota plans to purchase the panels from Japanese electronics maker Kyocera. The panels would produce approximately the same kilowatts as a rooftop solar array on a typical house.

In conjunction with industry dominance in 2007, The Prius also has a commanding hybrid sales lead through the first six months of 2008.

Toyota’s success with its hybrid has prompted the manufacturer’s promise to offer hybrids in every model in its line-up soon after 2020.

Toyota has sold more than a million Prius models over the past decade and is planning to sell a million hybrids a year sometime after 2010.

Known for its trademark luxury red sports cars, Ferrari will become “green,” with an elaborate system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its vehicles by 2012.

Three years later, Ferrari has plans to introduce a hybrid car to the public.

According to company president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Ferrari is developing a vehicle that will use alternative energy sources and which will be based on its Formula 1 vehicle.

In Formula 1, Ferrari uses a Kinetic Energy Recycling System (KERS), designed to draw extra power from the brakes.

Montezemolo said he believes the pubic will embrace a hybrid or electric Ferrari since “It’s the best sports car in the world and it will still fundamentally be a Ferrari.”

My travel for the day was largely back roads from Suwanee to Dahlonega, the end of the race’s longest stage, 133 miles.

Farmlands with twisting single-lane roads featured ideal scenery — abandoned, weather-beaten barns, rusted farm equipment, country stores with advertising signs offering boiled peanuts.

About 15 miles from the finish, I drove through an intersection and right past a small gas station that prompted a double take. About a mile down the road, I turned around to further investigate what appeared to be phenomenally low gas prices.

And, of course, it was too good to be true. The building was vacant, with a large, front window revealing a trashed interior. The gas pump cords were slashed, and yet the gas price signs of yesteryear remained. No one was around to ask whether the Thomas’ Deer Cooler, also advertised, is still open for business.

Now in its 10th generation, the Corollas debuted in the United States in 1968, two years after it debuted in Japan. In five decades, the vehicle has compiled almost unfathomable statistics. It’s now made in 13 countries; It’s available in more than 140 countries; And it’s estimated a new Corolla is purchased about every 40 seconds.

Its name connotes royalty, but who would have known 40 years ago when it was first sold in the United States that the Toyota Corolla actually deserved such a lofty title?

Corolla means “little crown,” and now in its fifth decade and with more than 33 million sold, there’s no reason to deny it. The Toyota Corolla, a little engine that could, continues to be royalty.

The 2009 Toyota Corolla isn’t a hybrid, nor does it boast any other high-tech refinement or embellished marketing campaigns. The Corolla remains what it’s always been — among the finest basic transportation cars ever made.

I drove the 4-door LE, one of five available Corolla models and all featuring an interior and exterior redesign. The LE includes a 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder, 132-horsepower engine with a 4-speed automatic transmission. It has a 9.2-second rating in the 0-60 mph standard acceleration test.

The Corolla won’t win any drag races, but it’s consistency and durability that matter for workhorses. Step on the gas, use the brakes, turn the steering wheel. Everything is smooth, tight, consistent and it all costs about $18,000. That’s $12,000 less than the average price of new car in the United States.

Green is mean and lean. And dealers around the country, despite plummeting overall sales, report backlogged demand for hybrids.

As such, premiums tacked onto hybrid vehicle sticker prices were once not considered a possibility. Now, hybrid purchase premiums are common.

Hybrid car sales still account for only about three percent of vehicle sales in the United States. But it’s a sure thing that lowly number will quickly rise.

According to the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), a leading trade association in Washington, D.C., here’s a list of hybrid sales through June 2008.

The alphabetical list includes totals from January 1, 2008 and includes sales numbers for recently debuted hybrids from the month first available.

The list in led by the Toyota Prius, which continues to dominate hybrid sales through the first six months of 2008. The Prius sold about three times as many hybrids as any other manufacturer in the United States in 2007.

Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon: 547 (June only)

Chevy Malibu Hybrid: 295 (June only)

Honda Accord Hybrid: 191

Honda Civic Hybrid: 19,032

Lexus 600h: 330 (through March only)

Lexus 400h: 9,038

Nissan Altima Hybrid: 4,242 (through May only)

Saturn Aura Hybrid: 30 (June only)

Saturn Vue Hybrid: 277 (June only)

Toyota Camry Hybrid: 30,532

Toyota Highlander Hybrid: 13,053

Toyota Prius: 91,440

Total: 172,234.

For more information about hybrid sales, visit: www.electricdrive.org

I wouldn’t know where to start. The most mechanical thing I’ve ever done is adjusting the valves and changing the oil of the first car I owned — a 1962 Volkswagen Bug. I bought it 37 years ago from the original owners — family friends — for $500.

I was age 16, and when I drove the 40-horsepower machine around town and shifted through the gears, everything was grand.

My VW Bug was beige, in near-pristine condition, had a four-speed stick shift, the original Blaupunkt AM/FM stereo radio and chrome front and back bumpers. The VW insignia shield, a rare decal near the front trunk handle, was intact. I drove the car everywhere and washed and waxed when it didn’t need cleaning.

During my early years of driving, I also drove a 1962 Ford Falcon station. ) It was originally my father’s car.) And I owned a 1966 Karmann Ghia convertible.

Cars didn’t enamor my father, but he had a few neat rides — his 1962 Corvair Spider convertible comes to mind.

But not being a mechanic doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate cars. I like simple, efficient entry-level cars and classic automobiles. I’m partial to Mercedes Benz (It was the first luxury car I drove). And I’ve never driven a Honda I didn’t like. I want to own what I like to call the anti-car, a Rambler American. And an Aston Martin would be just fine, thank you.

I’ve been a reporter for more than 30 years and reviewer of new cars since 2003. It’s the past six years of driving diverse new cars, attending car shows and talking to cars owners, manufacturers and friends about their cars that prompted me to start this blog. Welcome, your comments are appreciated